Riga
Riga names 2 different subjects across the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf. Each is set out below. 1 of them is described by more than one encyclopedia.
Riga a city and capital of the republic of Latvia
Described by 2 of the 6 encyclopedias.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a city and capital of the republic of Latvia on the Dwina river (crossed here by a bridge of boats and a railway bridge), 7 miles iles from the mouth of the river, and 350 S. W. of Petrograd, via Pskoff. The old town has narrow streets and mediæval houses and stores; but the suburbs are laid out in broad streets with handsome buildings. The chief edifices are the cathedral, built in 1204, burned down in 1547, but rebuilt; St. Peter's Church (1406), with a steeple 460 feet high; the castle of the old Knights of the Sword, built 1494-1515, the former residence of the grand-master of the order; and several old guild houses and Hanseatic halls. It is the seat of an archbishop of the Greek Church. Prior to the World War its industries were rapidly growing; they turned out cottons, BARREL HAND GUARD STRIKER BOLT CARTRIDGE STOCK machines, tobacco, corks, spirits, oils, metal wares, glass, paper, flax, jute, and oilcloth, and employed nearly 12,000 people. Riga was founded in 1201 by Albert, Bishop of Livonia, and soon became a first-rate commercial town, and member of the Hanseatic League. It belonged to Poland from 1561, and in 1621 in 1710 was finally annexed to Russia. Riga was taken by Gustavus Adolphus, and suffered damage from attacks during the World War (1914-1918) and was captured by the Germans. See WORLD WAR. On the establishment of the Republic of Latvia (q. v.) in 1919, Riga became its capital. Pop. about 335,000.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
re'ga, in size, the third seaport of Russia. It is situated on the Dwina River a few miles above its entrance to the Gulf of Riga. It is the chief Russian city of the Baltic provinces. A system of canals, several lines of railway, and water access to the Baltic render the city of Riga favorable to commerce. The chief exports are wheat, oats, flax, hemp, and timber. There are manufactures of machinery, tobacco, and woolen goods. Riga was founded in 1201. It was for a time one of the most flourishing cities of the Hanseatic League. During the wars pending the settlement of the boundaries of northern Europe Riga changed masters repeatedly; it passed under the dominion of Poland in 1581; of Gustavus Adolphus in 1621; and, finally, into the hands of the Russians in 1710. Few old buildings of interest remain. The cathedral is noted for an organ of 6,826 pipes, dating from 1883. The pumping of the air is managed by a four-horse gas engine. It is said to be the largest organ in the world. The population of the city in 1900 was 282,943. Although the city is under Russian rule the dominant element is German. An aristocratic suburb lying outside of St. Petersburg gate is inhabited by wealthy German merchants.
Riga GULF OF, an inlet on the E
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
GULF OF, an inlet on the E. side of the Baltic Sea. It is 105 miles in length from N. to S. and about 60 in breadth. The islands of Oesel, Dagö, Mohn, and Worms, lie across the entrance. The chief river which falls into the gulf is the Dwina. Sandbanks render navigation in some parts dangerous. support or operate a ship's masts or spars
What Has Changed in the Last Century
Collier's caught Riga at its founding moment as a national capital in 1921, and Aiton's in 1910 could still note that under Russian rule "the dominant element is German." Both those worlds ended: the Baltic German community was resettled to Germany in 1939-40 under the Nazi-Soviet pact, and Riga's Jewish population was destroyed after the German occupation of 1941, most of them shot in the Rumbula forest that November and December. Latvia was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940 and did not regain independence until 1991; Riga is again the capital, of an EU and NATO member state since 2004, with a population of roughly 600,000, down from a Soviet-era peak near 900,000. The medieval core Collier's described survives and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997, though St Peter's spire burned in 1941 and was rebuilt in the 1970s.
Written for this edition, 2026.